


Forever and Always

by Ciaossu



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 09:30:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15458352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciaossu/pseuds/Ciaossu
Summary: “Never set foot in the Nohrian forest. For if you do, you are doomed. It is dark and cold and goes on forever. None have returned. You will never find your way out. But worse than that. If you find yourself in the Nohrian forest, the big bad wolf will find you first. She is wild and strong, and no one can tame her. So never enter the Nohrian forest.”





	Forever and Always

**Author's Note:**

> SCREAMS ABOUT FAIRY TALES AND THE RULE OF THIRDS AND THE LIMINAL WORLD

_“Never set foot in the Nohrian forest._

The words were a hushed whisper, that travelled from mouth of parent to child. Everyone in the village had heard these words and knew them well. For their village of Hoshido was small and peaceful. A safe haven in a clearing surrounded by the forest. None who lived there ever travelled outside of it.

_“Never set foot in the Nohrian forest. For if you do, you are doomed. It is dark and cold and goes on forever. None have returned. You will never find your way out. But worse than that. If you find yourself in the Nohrian forest, the big bad wolf will find you first. She is wild and strong, and no one can tame her. So never enter the Nohrian forest.”_

The warning had never made sense to the young archer. If they never entered the forest, where did they come from? No one knew the answer. But no one still ever entered the forest.

But the forest lived on, unaware of their fear. One day, a sheep from the village’s herd wandered into the forest. Everyone fretted and worried over the lost lamb, but no one dared to enter the forest to find it.

 _“I will do it.”_ The archer declared to her friend, one of the village healers. _“We have less sheep than last year. Each one is important. I'll go into the forest and bring it back.”_

 _“You will not.”_ The healer answered with a shake of his head. _“The forest is dangerous. Everyone knows that. You are being foolish. Come, we will be fine.”_

She did not enter the forest.

A few months later, and their harvest had failed. The crops they pulled were small or eaten away by bugs. Everyone fretted and worried over the lost crops, but still no one dared to enter the forest and forage.

 _“I will do it.”_ The archer declared to her friend, the guard with bright red hair. _“The year has been bad. If we do not prepare, we will die in the winter. I'll go into the forest and look for fruit.”_

 _“You will not.”_ The guard answered with a shake of her head. _“The forest is dangerous. Everyone knows that. You are being reckless. Come, we will be fine.”_

She did not enter the forest.

But winter was coming, and the village grew nervous. There was not enough food for all to survive. Everyone fretted and worried over their stores, but still no one dared to enter the forest.

 _“I will do it.”_ The archer declared to the village chief dressed in red. _“There must be animals living in the forest. Surely we could hunt some. I’ll go into the forest and hunt something to eat.”_

 _“You will not.”_ The chief replied with a shake of his head. _“The forest is dangerous. Everyone knows that. You are being careless. Come, we will be fine.”_

She did not go with the chief.

With a cloak warm around her and her bow and quiver ready, the archer slipped away from the village and stepped into the Nohrian forest.

The forest was dark and quiet as she walked through. The archer began to worry, for she could not see any of the animals she had come looking for. She walked a long time, until a voice called out to her.

 _“You don't belong here.”_ A woman was watching her, sitting on a stump. She had long blonde hair that shone in the dark forest. The archer had never seen a woman like her before. The woman smiled.

 _“I thought people did not enter the forest.”_ The archer said. It made the strange woman laugh. The sound bounced off the trees. It was the only thing the archer could hear.

 _“I am not people. I am a wolf.”_ The woman stood from her stump and walked to the archer. _“Why are you here?”_

_“My village has no food. They are scared of the forest. I came to find something so that we may survive the winter.”_

_“Are you not scared of the forest?”_ The woman’s smile grew. She had very sharp teeth. _“Are you not scared of the wolves?”_

 _“I am not.”_ The archer answered. _“The forest isn't scary. I wanted to know why the forest is forbidden.”_

 _“I like to be alone.”_ The woman answered. But she smiled still, and stepped back from the archer. “But you are interesting. I will help you.” A bird flew down and landed on the woman’s hand. She held it out in the way the archer had come from. _“Follow the bird back. Do not stray from its path. When you return to the village and go to sleep, the forest will make sure that you all are fed. You will go now.”_

And go she did. Back the way she came, until she was in the village once more. Everything looked the same, but she followed the woman’s instructions and went home to sleep.

When she woke the next morning, it was as the woman of the forest said. Food filled every home and mouth, and the people laughed and cheered. The archer smiled, and quietly thanked the woman of the woods, and things were good once more.

Time passed, and the village was happy, until it was not. A sickness rolled through the village, and many were stuck in their homes. People grew weak and worried that the ones they loved would soon fall as well.

Despite their best efforts, the healers could not find a solution to the illness that plagued their village. No herbs would fix and no words that soothed. Healers mumbled about a herb that lived in the forest, one that was rumoured to have healing powers that would save their village. But no one was brave enough to venture into the forest and look.

Once more, the archer waited until night, slung her cloak onto her her body and her bow and quiver on her shoulders, and slipped into the forest.

The forest was still and shadowy as she walked through. She could feel eyes following her steps as she made her way through. She soon realized she was unsure what herb to bring back. The plants looked nothing like the illustration she’d seen. She walked a long time, until a voice called out to her.

 _“You have returned here.”_ The woman smiled as she watched the archer from atop a rock. She was bright in the forest, bright red lips spread in a wide smile. Slowly, she slid down from her perch. _“Are your people not well fed?”_

 _“They are.”_ The archer approached the woman who claimed to be a wolf. _“But now they are sick, and nothing can help them. They said there is a herb that grows that might, but they are too scared of the forest to go.”_

 _“But you are not.”_ The woman smiled and took hold of the archer’s face. Her nails, long and pointed, grazed the archer’s skin. _“You, the brave hero who enters the forest. And how do you plan to find these herbs?”_

 _“You.”_ The archer answered, meeting the woman’s gaze. _“I thought you would help me again.”_

The blonde woman laughed with her head thrown back. Her hand still stroked the archer’s face. _“And why do you think I would do that?”_

_“Because you are kind and helped me before.”_

The woman hummed thoughtfully, but just for a moment. She turned from the archer and walked to a plant. From it, she plucked off a few little sprigs. She returned to the archer and took her hand, placing the plant in it and closing her fingers around it.

_“Go, return home. And when you do, bury this plant in your yard. From this, the herbs you need will grow, and your people will live.”_

The archer smiled and thanked the woman. _“Surely there must be something I can do in return.”_

The woman smiled as well and shook her head. _“There is nothing your village can give me that I want, and what I want is not yet ready. You will go now.”_

And go she did. Back the way she came, until she was in the village once more. Everything looked the same, but she followed the woman’s instructions and went home to sleep.

When she woke the next morning, it was as the woman of the forest said. The herb had sprouted and flourished. The archer quickly fetched the healers and soon everyone in the village had returned to health. The archer smiled and quietly thanked the woman of the woods, and things were good once more.

Years passed again, and the archer often found her thoughts drifting back to the woman of the woods. Her thanks were with the woman for all she’d done, but the archer often found her thoughts drifting. She wondered what it would be like to feel her fingers spin the woman’s golden hair, to be so close her smell was ingrained in memory, to see those bright red lips and feel them as she-

Time passed and the village was happy and at the same time, not. Things were wonderful. They never lacked food and no one ever fell ill again. The village thrived and prospered, almost unnaturally so.

Whispers began. That this good fortune was brought by something unnatural. That there was a force behind their prosperity that would come and ask for something in return. That they were on borrowed time until some malevolent force came destroy what they’d built.

No one knew where such a force could have came from. Nowhere, they decided, except for the forest.

Accusations flew. It was clear, they decided, that someone entered the forest. Friends turned to enemies, neighbours grew hostile, all under the belief that they could have been the one who’d broken their rules and entered the forest. Tensions mounted, until one day their chief remembered someone who’d been so insistent that the forest was their only way to survive.

The chief entered the archer’s home that night, face stern as he questioned her. He demanded to know the truth of the matter, if the archer had stepped foot in the forest despite their traditions.

Guilty, but not ashamed, the archer held her head high. _“I did what I had to.”_ She answered. _“To protect our home. To keep our people safe.”_

 _“Then for doing so, you will make amends.”_ The chief answered. _“You will take nothing but the curse you have certainly doomed the village to, and you will go to the forest you so love. You will remain there, and never return. You will go now.”_

And for the last time, the archer slung her cloak onto her body and her bow and quiver on her shoulders, and entered the forest.

The forest was tranquil and welcoming as she walked through. She could hear the quiet sounds of life as animals scurried around. The archer was unsure what to do and what path to travel. So she continued on with no direction. She walked and walked until the sound of cracking branches made her stop and turn.

A bear, large, with cold black eyes was behind her. Raising up on its hind legs, the creature let out a loud roar that shook the trees and made the ground tremble. The archer, scared, fell back from the beast that lunged towards her.

From behind her again, another creature appeared. Soaring overhead, the wolf crashed into the bear and locked its teeth around its neck. The bear cried out and tried to swipe the wolf away, but the wolf held tight onto the creature as it twisted and turned. The force of their fight sent the bear stumbling, and the two fell crashing back into the darkness of the forest.

The archer did not move for a long time, for the sounds of the fight still echoed throughout the forest. After a time they fell silent, but still the archer did not move. Not until she heard the cracking of more branches. She turned and watched as the woman of the woods walked towards her, hair dulled and mouth and chin drenched with blood. She stopped before the archer.

 _“You have returned.”_ The woman lacked her usual merriment. Instead, exhausted, she fell to her knees before the archer, who scrambled to her own to cup the wolf woman’s face. _“I’m not sure I have the strength at this time to help your village with whatever they need.”_

 _“I haven’t come for your help.”_ The archer answered. _“But it seems you’ve helped me anyways...You are the wolf in the legends that guards the forest?”_

The woman laughed, a tired one, but amused all the same. _“I said so the very first time we met, my dear little villager.”_

 _I am a villager no more.”_ She told her with a shake of her head. _“I have left, with nowhere to go. No plans or thoughts...nothing but the wish to see you again.”_

 _“So you’ve found me.”_ The wolf woman placed her hands on top of the archers. Blood smeared across them both now. _“And what now, now that you’ve found me?”_

 _“Repayment, for all of those years that you’ve helped me.”_ The archer bowed her head and closed her eyes. _“I have nothing I can give you. So I’ll give what I can. Myself, to do with as you please.”_

The wolf woman was quiet for so long that the archer began to worry she had offered the wrong thing. It was the wolf woman’s hands on her chin, guiding her head up that eased her fears. _“My darling little archer…”_ The wolf woman cooed. _“You will stay by my side then? Forever and always?”_

The archer smiled. _“Forever and always.”_

Never set foot in the Nohrian forest. For if you do, you are doomed. It is dark and cold and goes on forever. None have returned. You will never find your way out. But worse than that. If you find yourself in the Nohrian forest, the big bad wolf will find you first. She is wild and strong, and listens only to the call of the archer she protects. For surely, the two are bound together by curses and hexes to the roots of the forest. So never enter the Nohrian forest.

**Author's Note:**

> "Aren't they kinda ooc"
> 
> Look you're not wrong but I just came here to write a lesbian fairy tale okay I did my freaking best.


End file.
